


Birdcage in Binary

by Pixx



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gaslighting, Gender Dysphoria, Manipulation, Misgendering, More tags to be added, Non-Consensual Groping, Non-Consensual Touching, basically sugou is a massive creep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29014791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixx/pseuds/Pixx
Summary: They were supposed to die. But after Sword Art Online, Kirito wakes up in a birdcage with a strange man who keps calling him Asuna. And Asuna wakes up to an world where her husband never woke up.To avoid spoilers, trigger warnings for subsequent chapters will be in the end Author's Notes.No update schedule.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	Birdcage in Binary

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to A Port In Any Storm for beta-ing

_ I guess this isn’t the worst way to go, after all. Sorry, Mom and Dad. Sorry, Sugu. I promised I would come back to you, but I guess I lied, huh? At least I got everyone else out. Nobody else has to die. _

Aincrad was breaking apart. The sky around Kirito and Asuna was growing brighter and brighter. It was so white and blinding that they had to close their eyes against the light, clutching each other as tightly as they could. Kirito felt his body go slack and numb, no longer feeling Asuna’s arms around him, and he let himself go into oblivion. 

_ We’ll be there soon, Asuna. Together, forever. _

It was warm. Kirito was lying somewhere warm and comfortable. The afterlife, he supposed. It was nice. A cool breeze swept over him, and Kirito sighed and opened his eyes, expecting to see his Asuna by his side. 

No Asuna. Just a strange man, long blonde hair, green cloak and robe and golden crown, and a pair of green shimmering wings. The man was staring at Kirito with something almost like hunger in his eyes that instantly made Kirito uncomfortable. 

“Asuna,” the man breathed, reaching out for Kirito as he pulled himself to his feet and out of the man’s reach. Kirito didn’t say anything, not even to deny that he was Asuna. Whoever the guy was, he obviously wanted her, and Kirito wasn’t going to give him  _ anything _ , not even a word. He didn’t know what the man wanted with him, but Kirito wasn’t going to take the chance of inadvertently doing something to put Asuna in danger. 

The man didn’t seem bothered about Kirito pulling away from him, quite the opposite, as his hungry look intensified and his face split into a wide grin as he laughed. 

“Never mind, Asuna.We’ll have plenty of time for you to warm up to me. And you will. After all, Oberon,” he gestured to himself, “always gets his queen”.

_ So Oberon is his name _ .  _ That sounds familiar somehow, but I can’t place it anywhere. _

Oberon turned around to leave, and as he opened the door Kirito realised that he was in a large golden birdcage. Panic gripped him, and as Oberon closed the door Kirito rushed the bars and grabbed on to them, rattling the door. Oberon turned around and smiled at Kirito, the look on his face caused fear to pool deep into Kirito’s stomach. 

“I’ll see you later Asuna. My dear Titania". He turned around again, and all Kirito could do was watch him walk away. 

_ Does he… think I’m Asuna? _

It was an explanation that made sense, but at the same time didn’t. Kirito turned around to scope out his surroundings and saw a mirror on the headboard of the soft-looking bed. Kirito peered into it... 

And saw Asuna looking back at him. 

But it wasn’t the Asuna he knew. The eyes were the same, and the hair was the same colour, flowing down past his waist, tied with white ribbon. But there were differences, too. The ears were long and pointed like an elf’s, and he had a pair of wings too, shimmery white and transparent. 

And, he was wearing an outfit Asuna wouldn’t have been caught  _ dead _ in. Asuna’s clothing, while she did prefer skirts, had always been practical, even her casual clothing being suited to SAO’s combat. What was on his body now was  _ skimpy _ , white silk and gauze tied with red ribbons, showing off shoulders, cleavage, midriff and legs, with ribbons around his feet rather than shoes.

And he had  _ cleavage  _ now. Kirito brought a hand to his chest, his skin crawling at the feeling of breasts. This wasn’t his body. This…  _ thing _ , whatever it was, had been meant for Asuna. 

“What the hell?” Kirito muttered to himself, startled as Asuna’s higher voice left his lips. 

_Explains why Oberon thought I was Asuna, but… why? Why am I here? Why does he want Asuna?_ _What happened to her?_

Every passing moment brought more and more questions, but no answers. All Kirito could do was continue to look around his cage and try and figure out a way out before Oberon or anyone else came back. 

His birdcage contained nothing except a very soft bed with a mirror on the headboard, gauzy netting surrounding it, a small round table with two chairs at it, and a potted shrub. Everything was white and airy, and if Kirito hadn’t been stuck here he would have called it  _ pretty _ , in a girly, fairy kind of way. Everything in the room was an immortal object, as Kirito found when he tried to break the chair to get himself a tool. All Kirito could do was rotate sitting on the chair, the bed and the floor, or pace around the birdcage for hours as the sun moved through the sky, above the branches of the tree over him. As day wore on into afternoon, and afternoon wore on into night, Kirito began to feel very lonely. His panic had died down into a kind of simmering fear, and the space where it had sat felt very empty and hollow. 

_ What if nobody comes for me? _

_ What if I’m stuck here forever? _

_ What if I never see Asuna again? _

Laying on the bed, knees pulled up, Kirito buried his face and shook with repressed tears until sleep overtook him.

-SAO-

Kirito was woken by the crashing of the cage door, and barely had time to blink before a hand roughly grabbed him by the hair and  _ pulled _ him off the bed. Kirito shrieked in pain and surprise as he was dragged onto the floor on his knees, and his head forced up to look at the person holding him. 

Oberon looked  _ livid _ , teeth gritted as he shook the hand that was holding Kirito’s hair. Kirito’s hands flew up to his hair, trying desperately to break the man’s grip. SAO hadn’t had any pain, with absorbers turned all the way up, but this place didn’t have that, as he’d found out when he’d tried to break the chair. After two years of feeling no pain, the feeling of his hair being pulled brought tears to his eyes. 

“You’re not Asuna,” Oberon snarled at Kirito, ignoring his attempts to remove his hand. When Kirito didn’t answer, Oberon shook his hand in Kirito’s hair again, prompting a whimper of pain. 

‘No!” Kirito gasped, “no, I’m not Asuna, I’m not Asuna!” Tears began to spill down his cheeks, humiliating Kirito. 

“What’s your name then?” Oberon asked, still angry, tightening his grip when Kirito didn’t immediately answer. Kirito screwed his eyes shut. 

“ _ K-Kirito! _ My name’s Kirito!” At his answer, Oberon released Kirito by throwing him by his hair across the cage. Kirito slid across the floor until his back hit the bars of the cage and the wind was knocked out of him. Kirito lay there for a moment, terrified to move until he heard footsteps coming towards him again. Using the bars for support, Kirito pulled himself to his feet and looked towards the advancing Oberon. When he reached Kirito, he raised a hand like he was going to grab him again, and Kirito flinched. But instead of grabbing him, Oberon stopped short. 

“Kirito…” he said under his breath, like he was just remembering something. He took a step back, giving Kirito some room to breathe. Then, he smiled. 

“Kirito… Asuna mentioned you. Her lover, in the game.” At the mention of Asuna, Kirito’s head snapped up to look at Oberon. The smile on his face made Kirito feel sick. 

“Asuna’s alive?” Kirito whispered, “Is Asuna okay?” Oberon’s smile twisted, and took on a fake, sympathetic quality. 

“Asuna’s alive,” he murmured as he got closer to Kirito again, and Kirito cringed as he picked up a piece of his hair and brought it to his face. “I’ve even talked to her. Whether she’s ‘okay’ though,” he breathed in deeply, smelling his hair, making Kirito feel sick to his stomach, “all depends on you... Kirito.” 

-SAO-

Asuna was 300%  _ done _ with physical therapy. The therapist was excessively chipper, and it grated on Asuna’s nerves. And her progress was so  _ slow _ . Asuna wanted to  _ walk _ . She  _ needed _ to walk. She needed to find Kirito. If she had made it out, he would have too. She died first after all. 

When she was wheeled back into her room, a man in a suit was waiting for her. Asuna sighed. The guy from the Telecommunications Bureau.  _ Again. _ Asuna grumbled a little to herself as she was assisted back into her bed. 

“Miss Yuuki, I’m sorry-”

“Asuna”

“Miss Asuna, I’m sorry to take up more of your time-”

“Just get to the point.”

The man - Kikuoka, Asuna remembered - adjusted his glasses and levelled a look at Asuna that made her feel like a petulant child. 

“Miss Asuna, I just have some questions for you about your experiences in Sword Art On-” 

And Asuna  _ exploded _ . 

“Look, I’ve already told you everything! I’ve answered all of your questions, over and

over again. So will you just  _ leave me alone already? _ ” Angry tears pricked at her eyes and she cursed herself for showing weakness in front of another. Kikuoka seemed to soften a bit, his business-like demeanour dropping for a moment. 

“Asuna,” he began, “you said were close to another in the game, a man by the name of Kirito?” At the mention of his name, Asuna straightened up and looked directly at Kikuoka as he continued speaking. 

“If you cooperate with me today, I can tell you more about him.”

Asuna nodded. “Ask your questions.”

-SAO-

_ Kazuto Kirigaya. Mitsui Memorial Hospital. Kazuto Kirigaya. Mitsui Memorial Hospital. _ During her recovery, Asuna told herself those words, over and over again, making sure she would never forget them. Kikuoka hadn’t been able to tell her anything about Kirito’s condition, but he had been able to give her his real name, and which hospital he was at. And every time Kikuoka had visited, she had asked him if he was still there. Now Asuna was getting discharged, and she knew the first place she would go. 

As soon as she had been taken home, Asuna had snuck out underneath the watchful eye of her mother, and called a taxi. The cab pulled up smoothly to the curb, and the driver asked her where she wanted to go. 

“Mitsui Memorial Hospital in Chiyoda Ward, please,” she told the driver as she settled into her seat for the drive. Asuna watched out of the windows, staring at the people of Tokyo as she passed by them, marvelling at the crowds. SAO had been quieter. Sure, there had been over six thousand people by the end, but that wasn’t very many when you spread them between all the floors, the towns getting sparser and sparser as more floors were opened up. Tokyo, by contrast, was  _ teeming _ with people everywhere you looked. Buildings that held more people than Asuna’s entire world had for the past two years. It took her breath away. 

It felt like an age before the hospital came into view, the white building stretching into the sky like it was reaching up to touch the clouds.

Somewhere in there was Kirito. And Asuna was going to find him. 

The receptionist at the front desk was helpful and told her where Kirito’s room was, and Asuna walked down the halls with determination, but slowed when she reached Kirito’s room. The door was closed, and as Asuna reached out a hand to the doorknob, it opened, and Asuna came face to face with a girl that had the same-coloured hair and dark eyes as her husband. Both Asuna and the other girl were startled, not expecting anyone on the other side of the door. 

“Oh!” The other girl jumped. “Sorry, you scared me. Did you need something?”

Asuna smiled at her, but the smile felt weak. 

“I was looking for Kir- Kazuto’s room. Did I get the wrong one?”

The other girl’s eyes narrowed a little bit, distrustful of Asuna. Which she didn’t blame her for. She was obviously Kirito’s family, and he’d been through a traumatic situation. And if he was still in the hospital, his condition must have been worse than hers. She couldn’t fault Kirito’s family for being protective of him. 

“My name is Asuna. I was a- friend of Kir-Kazuto’s, in SAO. I was hoping to see him.”

The other girl was surprised, but still seemed distrustful of Asuna. Then, she broke into a smile. 

“You’re from SAO?”

Asuna nodded, and she continued.

“I’m Suguha. Kazuto’s sister. Come on in.”

Suguha stepped away from the door and motioned for Asuna to go in. Asuna stepped into the room and walked towards the hospital bed in the centre of the room, but when she finally got a clear view of it, she stopped and looked towards Suguha in horror. Suguha was still standing near the doorway, arms crossed across her chest, looking sad. 

Kirito,  _ her Kirito _ , was lying on the bed, emaciated, weak-looking. Sick. And the Nervegear was still firmly on his head. Asuna understood now why Kirito was still in the hospital, why Kikuoka wouldn’t tell her about his condition, why Suguha was distrustful when she came to visit. 

Kirito had never woken up. 


End file.
